Mary-Lynnette Carter
Mary-Lynnette Carter is the protagonist of Daughters of Darkness, the second book in L. J. Smith's Night World series. She is the older sister of Mark Carter and the soulmate of Ash Redfern. She is also blood sisters with Jade, Rowan and Kestrel Redfern. History Mary-Lynette is the oldest child of unnamed parents. She was born and raised in the small town of Briar Creek, Oregon. Her mother died when she was young and she has looked out for her younger brother, Mark, ever since. Mary-Lynette has been good friends with Jeremy Lovett since childhood and is also implied to have a bit of a crush on him. She finds life in Briar Creek dull and feels she doesn't fit in there. This is partly why she is so drawn to Jeremy, as he seems like an outsider too. Mary-Lynette is also reasonably close to her elderly neighbour Mrs Burdock, whom she helps feed her goats. Daughters of Darkness Mary-Lynette is star-gazing on top of a hill outside her house, when she sees three strange girls burying something big in the back garden of Mrs Burdock's house. Suspicious, Mary-Lynette goes to investigate. She discovers the girls are Mrs Burdock's nieces, whom Mrs Burdock had mentioned were coming to stay with her. However, Mary-Lynette becomes worried when Rowan claims that their aunt left town unexpectedly and begins to suspect that the girls murdered Mrs Burdock. Whilst trying to investigate, Mary-Lynette also meets Ash Redfern, whom she unaware is the girls' brother. Mary-Lynette feels an instant attraction to Ash, but also a strong dislike for him, even kicking him in the shins the first time they meet after he insults her (this becomes a running gag throughout the novel). Things become even more complicated when Mary-Lynette's brother falls madly in love with Jade. One night, Mary-Lynette discovers the girls are moving Mrs Burdock's body and convinces Mark to follow them into the woods with her. They are horrified when they witness the sisters kill and drink the blood of a deer, revealing they are vampires. Mark confronts the sisters before Mary-Lynette can stop him. Mary-Lynette is clearly terrified when Kestrel says they have to kill the Carter siblings, but Jade announces that Mark is her soulmate. The Redfern sisters solve the issue by doing a blood tie ceremony with the Carter siblings, thus making them related to the Redferns (and by extension the Harmans). The sisters then reveal the existence of the Night World and also explain what really happened to Mrs Burdock. Mary-Lynette agrees to help solve Mrs Burdock's murder. At Mrs Burdock's house, they encounter Ash, who denies killing his aunt. It is here that Mary-Lynette realises she and Ash are soulmates. She is very upset by this, as she feels she and Ash are polar opposites, but without him, she'll never truly feel whole again. After running through a list of suspects, Mary-Lynette comes to the conclusion that Jeremy could be a Night Person - it is later confirmed he is a werewolf. Mary-Lynette is upset at the idea that her friend could've killed Mrs Burdock, but Rowan assures her that werewolves are noble creatures who only kill to survive, not for sport. Mary-Lynette gradually grows closer to Ash, who has gone through a drastic change in personality since meeting Mary-Lynette. She kisses him and also exchanges blood with him. Mary-Lynette becomes very tempted at the idea of becoming a vampire herself, feeling that she has never fitted into the human world as it is. However, Mary-Lynette and Ash are later attacked in the woods by Jeremy, who reveals he is in love with her and was upset that she wants to be a vampire, saying he intends to make her a werewolf instead. Mary-Lynette is horrified when she learns that Jeremy has actually been the killer all along and that he intends to kill Ash as well. Mary-lynette manages to get free of her bonds and lures Jeremy to her car. She stabs him with the silver knife she uses to prise open her gas cap, seriously wounding him, then leaves him to die in the burning vehicle. She is understandably traumatised by this and is comforted by Ash once he regains consciousness. Mary-Lynette decides that even though she loves Ash, she feels she needs to grow up more before being with him properly. She also decides she doesn't want to become a vampire anymore, feeling she cannot handle all the violence and death that comes with it. She remains in Briar Creek with her brother and blood sisters, promising to wait for Ash to return to her once he has made up for the terrible things he has done in his past. Other Stories Mary-Lynette is in-directly mentioned by Ash in Dark Angel, when he encounters Gillian Lennox at a Night World club and rescues her from vampires. Ash, who doesn't believe Gillian is really a witch, says that before he would've killed Gillian, but that "I met a girl last summer", showing how much Mary-Lynette has changed Ash. He also briefly mentions her in Soulmate. In the short story Ash and Mary-Lynette: Those Who Favor Fire, ''Mary-Lynette is attending Harvard University and studying astronomy. However, she is targeted by a dragon. Ash comes with a few other members of Circle Daybreak to rescue her in a helicopter. Mary-Lynette is glad to escape with her life and be reunited with her soulmate. However, they receive word that they must change course from Circle Daybreak's headquarters or land, as the dragon is still following them, leaving Mary-Lynette's fate uncertain. She is set to appear in ''Strange Fate. Ultimate Fan Guide Description "Mary-Lynnette is smart, spunky, and a little nosy. Mary-Lynnette is protective of those she loves - including her sensitive brother, Mark, and elderly neighbor, Opal Burdock. Mary-Lynnette contemplates becoming a vampire to be closer to her soulmate - and so that she can better view the stars." Physical Appearance Mary-Lynnette is very close in physical appearance to her younger brother Mark, having tanned skin, "dark and shiny" hair, as well as "blue and clear and snapping" eyes. Personality Mary-Lynnette is intelligent and strong-willed, though compassionate. After her mother died, she had become a responsible and serious person very early on in life as she had to take care of both her father and brother. She is also characterized as caring, sincere and loyal. Rowan says she is a good listener. She's equally very protective of her loved ones, and as shown with Jeremy Lovett, is highly against prejudice, even among Night People. She also has a passion for astronomy. Trivia *Two Night People were in love with her: Ash Redfern (vampire) and Jeremy Lovett (werewolf). Both of them tried to turn Mary-Lynnette into their respective species. *The name "Mary-Lynnette" has been separated into its two components. The name "Mary" has a couple of different origins and meanings. In Hebrew origin, "Mary" means "bitter" or "rebellious", while In ancient Egyptian, it means "beloved". Her second name, "Lynnette", means "lake". Therefore, her name could translate to "bitter lake", "rebellious lake" or "beloved lake". *Her surname "Carter" means "one who uses a cart". *She is the only one of the soulmate couples to outright reject her soulmate, aside from (initially) Hannah Snow. Also like Hannah, both of their respective soulmates had to make amends for their past mistakes (although Thierry's mistakes were not entirely his fault, whereas Ash's past misdeeds were largely done of his own accord). *Mary-Lynette is the only main protagonist to not join Circle Daybreak with her soulmate. However, as she is set to appear in the final book, this implies she does end up joining Circle Daybreak at some point. Appearances Novels *''Daughters of Darkness'' * Dark Angel ''(in-directly mentioned) * ''Soulmate ''(mentioned) *Strange Fate'' Short Stories *''Ash and Mary-Lynnette: Those Who Favor Fire'' References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Protagonists Category:Humans Category:Redfern Family Category:Circle Daybreak